NECSL Girls visit St Mirren

SMFC Webteam

Saints News

Yet another group from the Republic of Ireland visited the St Mirren Training Academy at Ralston with over 100 players, coaches and parents from the North Eastern County Schoolgirls League making the journey over to Scotland at the end of March.

They NECSL group received training sessions from the St Mirren Academy coaches and got the chance to watch the Buddies take on Dundee in the Ladbrokes Premiership, while also seeing the St Mirren Women's team in action against Clyde.

Sam Mawuena, a St Mirren Academy coach who lead the training sessions, said: "It was a pleasure to have the NECSL girls and deliver our methodology as we do in the Academy to them. The feedback from NECSL Girls and other groups who have visited us from Ireland has been fantastic."

On the Sunday afternoon they enjoyed evenly matched games against local teams and received a special visit from St Mirren Women's Head Coach, Kate Cooper.

Kate said: "It was a privilege to meet and spend time with the players and coaches from NECSL girls.

"Their enthusiasm for the game, desire to learn and ultimately improve and develop was evident throughout their visit. I have no doubt some will go on to have great careers in the game. We also greatly appreciated their support at our match vs Clyde."

As always, a highlight of the tour was the VIP stadium tour delivered by St Mirren Chief Executive, Tony Fitzpatrick.

Speaking on the visit, Tony said: "It was fantastic to have our first all-girls group at the club and it was great that Kate Cooper took time to come down for a chat.

"It shows the club are making a huge impression to boys and girls teams from all over the Republic of Ireland. To have over 100 players, parents and coaches shows how much our good name is spreading which is our main objective."

Jed McCabe of inspiresport, the organisers of the tour, said: "As official partners of Scottish Women’s Football it was great to have our first girls group to St Mirren.

"The group absolutely loved the tour from high quality coaching, stadium tour with Tony Fitzpatrick, quality matches and to top it off, Kate Cooper, the St Mirren Women's team head coach, taking time to have meet the group. This really shows why inspiresport are proud partners of St Mirren."

Karen Byrne from NECSL girls said: "As the lead organiser I was so impressed by the professionalism of inspiresport, in particular Jed and our superb weekend guide Bruce.

"The timetable was well organised and we squeezed as much as possible in to the time we were there. To get a VIP tour of the stadium from a club legend and CEO was very inspiring.

"The most important aspect from us as NECSL coaches was that our team would have an opportunity to spend quality time together and gel as a unit. The trip definitely afforded us with these goals being met for sure.

"We look forward to engaging inspiresport in future tours and have now formed new relationships with St Mirren coaching staff. I am already looking forward to my own personal return in the middle of May to foster a coaching relationship and friendship with Kate Cooper who so generously gave up her time during the weekend."